Shifting between a sexually confused church-going young man, a flamboyant drag queen and a traditional Baptist preacher, UW-Madison student Danez Smith performed a one-man play in addition to participating in a forum with two faculty members and a student Tuesday.
Danez Smith's play, ""For Those Who Pray In Closets,"" is production about a young man struggling between leading two conflicting lives as an obedient church boy and an aspiring drag queen. The event was one of many planned on campus for National Coming Out Week.
""I hope to [perform] in front of as many diverse audiences as possible and not just audiences that I know who will agree with me but audiences that will challenge me,"" Smith said. ""I hope to create more dialogues and promote more dialogues about faith and sexuality.""
Donte Hilliard, assistant dean and director of the Multicultural Student Center and member of the panel, discussed how Smith's play reflects African-American intellectual and artistic tradition in addition to coming out.
""There is a long, particularly African-American intellectual tradition that for in order for it to be art, it needs to have some political, social, or cultural significance,"" Hilliard said. ""[This piece] wrestles with what does it mean to be a paradox: to be a black, gay, male Christian.""
Smith's performance sought to portrayed the emotions and experiences associated with sexual identity struggles.
""The very act of coming out privately, publicly, accidentally, with purpose and desperation, as an after thought, is nothing short of revolutionary and often terrifying,"" said Gabe Javier, assistant dean and director of the LGBT Campus Center.
Smith said that while coming out is not a singular event, National Coming Out Day gives an opportunity to speak out for those who are struggling with their identity.
""The importance of National Coming Out Day is providing a place for us to say it's OK for us to come out and to reaffirm that we're people that exist,"" said Smith. ""Having a day that's about speaking about who you are if that helps someone along their journey ... is something we need to do and not just on National Coming Out Day.""
